Nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiencies were evaluated in three years old, eight tropical tree species planted on coal mine spoils. Of these eight species, Albizia lebbeck, Albizia procera, Dalbergia sissoo and Millettia pinnata were the leguminous species, while the Azadirachta indica, Holoptelea integrifolia, Madhuca longifolia and Terminalia arjuna were the non-leguminous species. Both groups of plants have shown higher resorption efficiencies for both nitrogen and phosphorus, but they potentially differed in terms of nitrogen and phosphorus resorption efficiency. Non-leguminous species have shown higher efficiency for nitrogen resorption and lower efficiency for phosphorus resorption while contrary to this; leguminous species have shown lower efficiency for nitrogen resorption and higher efficiency for phosphorus resorption.